Case 2:17-cv-03247-DMG-AFM Document 35 Filed 06/05/18 Page 1 of 10 Page ID #:529

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
CIVIL MINUTES—GENERAL
Case No.

Date

CV 17-3247-DMG (AFMx)

Title Jayceon Terrell Taylor v. Viacom Inc., et al.

June 5, 2018
Page

1 of 10

 

Present: The Honorable

DOLLY M. GEE, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

KANE TIEN
Deputy Clerk

NOT REPORTED
urt Reporter

Attorneys Present for Plaintiff(s)
None Present

Attorneys Present for Defendant(s)
None Present

Proceedings: IN CHAMBERS—ORDER RE DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO STRIKE [23]
Before the Court is Defendants Viacom, Inc.; Viacom International, Inc.; and New Pop
Culture Productions, Inc.’s (collectively, “Viacom”) motion to strike (“MTS”) [Doc. # 23]
Plaintiff Jayceon Terrell Taylor’s complaint (“Compl.”) [Doc. # 1]. Additionally, Viacom
requests the Court to judicially notice various documents in support of its MTS (“RJN”). [Doc.
# 24.]
I.
JUDICIAL NOTICE
Federal Rule of Evidence 201 permits a court to take judicial notice of facts not subject to
reasonable dispute and “capable of accurate and ready determination by resort to sources whose
accuracy cannot reasonably be questioned.” Campbell v. PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, 642
F.3d 820, 824, n.3 (9th Cir. 2011) (citing Fed. R. Evid. 201(b)). “A court may take judicial
notice of ‘matters of public record.’” Lee v. City of Los Angeles, 250 F.3d 668, 689 (9th Cir.
2001).
The Court therefore GRANTS in part Viacom’s RJN and takes judicial notice of
Exhibits B, C, H, J, Y, DD–LL, NN, and OO, which consist of court records, websites, and news
articles. See Wible v. Aetna Life Ins. Co., 375 F. Supp. 2d 956, 965–66 (C.D. Cal. 2005)
(Amazon web pages proper subject of judicial notice); Seelig v. Infinity Broad. Corp., 97 Cal.
App. 4th 798, 807, n.5 (2002) (news articles published before and after the airing of a television
show proper subject of judicial notice); Louis v. McCormick & Schmick Restaurant Corp., 460 F.
Supp. 2d 1153, 1155 n.4 (C.D. Cal. 2006) (court records proper subjects of judicial notice). As

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
CIVIL MINUTES—GENERAL
Case No.

CV 17-3247-DMG (AFMx)

Title Jayceon Terrell Taylor v. Viacom Inc., et al.

Date

June 5, 2018
Page

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for the remaining documents, the Court DENIES Viacom’s request as moot because the Court
did not rely upon them to resolve this motion.1
II.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
A.

Taylor Starred in the Reality Show She’s Got Game

Jayceon Taylor, better known by his stage name “The Game,” is a self-proclaimed
“internationally recognized music artist” who has earned the number one spot eight times on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart. Compl. at ¶ 2; Exhibit J to MTS (“Exh. J”) [Doc. # 23-6 at 2–
5] (newspaper article reporting on The Game’s chart rankings). In addition to his successful
music career, Taylor has starred in two reality television programs,2 including She’s Got Game.
Compl. at ¶¶ 2, 8; Exhibit H to MTS (“Ex. H”) [Doc. # 23-5 at 7–11] (freeze-frames of VH1.com
website, which features She’s Got Game episodes and a show plot summary). She’s Got Game,
which was cast, at least in part, in February 2015 and began airing in August 2015, was a reality
dating show in which ten women accompanied Taylor on his music tour as he “looked for love.”
Compl. at ¶¶ 2, 8, 11; Ex. H.
In light of the various news articles posted before and after the show aired, as well as the
show’s ratings, She’s Got Game was a popular television program. See Exhibit Y to MTS [Doc.
# 23-7 at 32–35] (article interviewing Taylor about She’s Got Game before it aired); Exhibit
DD–LL to MTS [Doc. ## 23-8 at 16–75, 23-9 at 1–54] (reporting that She’s Got Game was
among the highest rated television programs on August 11, 2015; August 18, 2015; August 25,
2015; September 2, 2015; September 9, 2015; September 15, 2015; September 29, 2015; October
6, 2015; and October 16, 2015); Exhibit NN to MTS [Doc. # 23-9 at 60] (article reporting the
                                                            
1

Taylor filed an objection to Viacom’s RJN on September 14, 2017—over one month after he filed his
Opposition and two weeks after Viacom filed its Reply. [Doc. ## 29, 31, 34.] In the objection, Taylor posits that he
would have argued the substance of the objection at the hearing on the MTS, but due to the Court’s vacating the
hearing and taking the matter under submission, he could not. [Doc. # 34.] The Court need not consider Taylor’s
objection because he lodged it after the submission of his Opposition and Viacom’s Reply, which fails to give
Viacom adequate notice. In any case, because the Court does not rely on the subject of the objection, Viacom’s
evidentiary objection is OVERRULED as moot.
 
2
Taylor also starred in reality television program Marrying the Game, which aired for three seasons on
VH1. Exh. G to MTD [Doc. # 23-5 at 3–6] (freeze-frame of VH1.com website, which features Marrying the Game
episodes).
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
CIVIL MINUTES—GENERAL
Case No.

CV 17-3247-DMG (AFMx)

Title Jayceon Terrell Taylor v. Viacom Inc., et al.

Date

June 5, 2018
Page

3 of 10

 

“Internet buzz[]” surrounding the show); Exhibit OO to MTS [Doc. # 23-9 at 64–66] (article
about show contestant after show ended).
B.

The Chicago Lawsuit

One of the contestants on She’s Got Game, Priscila Rainey, filed suit against Taylor on
August 5, 2015 in the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois for battery, alleging that
Taylor sexually assaulted her off-camera at a Chicago-area nightclub. Compl. at ¶¶ 11, 46;
Exhibit C to MTS [Doc. # 23-4 at 62–66]. The case proceeded to trial on November 14, 2016,
but Taylor failed to appear, purportedly due to an emergency dental procedure that he underwent
during voir dire. Compl. at ¶ 48; Exhibit B to MTS (“Trial Transcript”) [Doc. # 23-4 at 1–61] at
90:13–21, 98:9–18, 180:18–181:6. Given the nature of the surgery and Taylor’s failure to notify
his counsel of the surgery in a timely manner, as well as other pretrial requests and conduct, the
court remarked that Taylor’s behavior was “indicative of somebody who had no intention of
appearing at trial.” Trial Transcript at 92:12–93:9, 95:10–96:7, 177:6–22, 179:24–180:8,
180:18–181:6, 183:22–185:23, 500:7–501:24. The jury entered judgement for Rainey and
awarded her $7.1 million in damages. Compl. at ¶¶ 47, 49.
C.

The Instant Lawsuit

About six months after the judgment, Taylor filed this suit against Viacom. Viacom cast
Rainey in She’s Got Game and televised the show on its channel, VH1. Id. at ¶¶ 10, 11. Taylor
is suing Viacom for negligence, negligent misrepresentation, negligent infliction of emotional
distress, and breach of fiduciary duty alleging that he has “been aggrieved and harmed by the
announcement of the verdict” in Rainey’s 2015 action against him. Id. at ¶¶ 1, 46, 52. Taylor
contends that Viacom caused his harm because it cast Rainey as a contestant on the show
knowing she had a criminal history, including multiple felony arrests for battery, and that she
had suffered from mental health issues. Id. at ¶¶ 15–17, 26, 64. According to Taylor, Viacom
contracted with a doctor to perform psychological examinations of the show’s possible contestants. Id. at
¶ 15. The doctor initially recommended Rainey for the show but after reviewing arrest reports, he
suggested that “a ‘very conservative approach is called for’ with Rainey” and that she should “not be
allowed to participate on the [show].” Id. at ¶¶ 16–17, 26.

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 Case 2:17-cv-03247-DMG-AFM Document 35 Filed 06/05/18 Page 4 of 10 Page ID #:532

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
CIVIL MINUTES—GENERAL
Case No.

CV 17-3247-DMG (AFMx)

Title Jayceon Terrell Taylor v. Viacom Inc., et al.

Date

June 5, 2018
Page

4 of 10

 

III.
LEGAL STANDARD
California prohibits “Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation” (the “anti-SLAPP”
statute). Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 425.16. The law “permits a defendant to pursue early dismissal
of meritless lawsuits arising from conduct by the defendant in furtherance of the right of petition
or free speech.” Greater L.A. Agency on Deafness, Inc. v. Cable News Network, 742 F.3d 414,
419 (9th Cir. 2014). “The anti-SLAPP statute allows a court to strike any cause of action that
arises from the defendant’s exercise of his or her constitutionally protected rights of free speech
or petition for redress of grievances.” Flatley v. Mauro, 39 Cal. 4th 299, 311–12 (2006) (citing
§ 425.16(b)(1)).
Resolution of an anti-SLAPP motion requires the court to engage in a two-step process.
Jarrow Formulas, Inc. v. LaMarche, 31 Cal. 4th 728, 733 (2003). First, the moving party must
show that the causes of action “arise[] from any act of that person in furtherance of the person’s
right of petition or free speech under the United States Constitution or the California Constitution
in connection with a public issue.” § 425.16(b)(1). Under the anti-SLAPP statute, such
constitutionally protected speech activity includes “any written or oral statement made in a place
open to the public or a public forum in connection with an issue of public interest” and “any
other conduct in furtherance of the exercise of . . . the constitutional right of free speech in
connection with a public issue or an issue of public interest.” Id. at § 425.16(e)(2)–(3). The
California legislature directs that the statute “shall be construed broadly.” Id. at § 425.16(a).
Moreover, California courts have held that “a court must generally presume the validity of the
claimed constitutional right in the first step of the anti-SLAPP analysis, and then permit the
parties to address the issue in the second step of the analysis, if necessary.” City of Los Angeles
v. Animal Def. League, 135 Cal. App. 4th 606, 621 (2006), disapproved of on other grounds by
City of Montebello v. Vasquez, 1 Cal. 5th 409 (2016).
If—and only if—the moving party shows that the challenged causes of action arises from
its protected activity, then the Court decides whether the plaintiff has demonstrated a probability
of prevailing on the claim. Jarrow, 31 Cal. 4th at 733. To establish a probability of prevailing
on a claim, the plaintiff must meet a standard “comparable to that used on a motion for judgment
as a matter of law.” Price v. Stossel, 620 F.3d 992, 1000 (9th Cir.2010). Thus, he “must
demonstrate that the complaint is legally sufficient and supported by a prima facie showing of
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
CIVIL MINUTES—GENERAL
Case No.

Date

CV 17-3247-DMG (AFMx)

Title Jayceon Terrell Taylor v. Viacom Inc., et al.

June 5, 2018
Page

5 of 10

 

facts to sustain a favorable judgment if the evidence submitted by the plaintiff is credited.” Id.
(quoting Metabolife Int’l, Inc. v. Wornick, 264 F.3d 832, 840 (9th Cir.2001)). If the plaintiff fails
to present a sufficient legal basis for the claims, or if the evidence offered is insufficiently
substantial to support a judgment in his favor, then the anti-SLAPP motion should be granted.
Id.
In considering the MTS, the Court “consider[s] the pleadings, and the supporting and
opposing affidavits stating the facts upon which the liability or defense is based.” Cal. Civ. Proc.
Code § 425.16(b)(2).
IV.
DISCUSSION
A.

Step One: Acts in Furtherance of Free Speech in Connection with a Public Issue

Under the anti-SLAPP standard, Viacom first must show that Taylor’s claims for
negligence, negligent misrepresentation, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and breach of
fiduciary duty arise from Viacom’s exercise of its constitutional right to free speech in
connection with a public issue. Viacom clears this threshold hurdle.
Viacom contends that all of Taylor’s claims are subject to the anti-SLAPP motion, and
that the claims should be stricken because (1) She’s Got Game is a popular unscripted television
show, (2) the claims are related to casting decisions of a television show, and (3) Taylor is a
well-known music artist. MTS at 15, 17–18. The Court first addresses whether the challenged
conduct was taken in furtherance of Viacom’s exercise of free speech rights.
1.

Acts in Furtherance of Free Speech

As presented above, the activity Taylor challenges in his complaint “must have been
conducted ‘in furtherance’ of the exercise of free speech rights.” Hilton v. Hallmark Cards, 599
F.3d 894, 903 (9th Cir. 2010). Viacom alleges that Taylor’s causes of action arose from acts in
furtherance of free speech because casting decisions related to the production of a television
program are sufficient to meet the first step’s threshold. MTS at 15. Viacom is correct. Courts
have held that the “creation of a television show,” including the “writing, casting, and
broadcasting” of a television show, is an exercise of free speech. Tamkin v. CBS Broad., Inc.,
193 Cal. App. 4th 133, 143–144 (2011); see also Hunter v. CBS Broad., 221 Cal. App. 4th 1510,
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
CIVIL MINUTES—GENERAL
Case No.

CV 17-3247-DMG (AFMx)

Title Jayceon Terrell Taylor v. Viacom Inc., et al.

Date

June 5, 2018
Page

6 of 10

 

1520 (2013) (television producers’ decisions about who to cast in their programs constitute acts
in furtherance of free speech for anti-SLAPP purposes, even where plaintiff alleged that
producers made casting decisions on unlawful, discriminatory bases). As such, Viacom’s
decision to hire Rainey as a cast member for She’s Got Game was an activity in furtherance of
Viacom’s exercise of free speech rights.
Taylor disputes this, arguing that the “gravamen” of his causes of action against Viacom
does not arise out of its exercise of the right of free speech but, rather, “the negligent act
committed by Defendants in failing to adequately protect Plaintiff by allowing a person who they
know, or reasonably should have known, was not fit or suitable for participation on the Show.”
Opp. at 6 [Doc. # 29]. The case on which Taylor relies, Robles v. Chalilpoyil, 181 Cal. App. 4th
566 (2010), is distinguishable.
In Robles, plaintiffs brought a negligence claim against their former expert witness for
giving false deposition testimony in a wrongful death action, as well as failing to continue to act
as an independent expert in that case by entering into a business relationship with plaintiffs’
attorneys to design and market a product based on information obtained while acting as
plaintiffs’ expert. Id. at 570–71. The appellate court affirmed the trial court’s finding that the
challenged conduct was not protected activity under section 425.16, and explained: “The central
subject of the complaint against [the expert witness] is not an exercise of free speech or petition
but the negligence or fraud inherent in [the expert witness’] act of entering into a business
relationship to [plaintiffs’] detriment.” Id. at 580.
To say, as Taylor does here, that Robles and the California cases cited therein instruct
that, whenever a plaintiff’s claim is negligence-based, section 425.16 does not protect the
statements made by a defendant, is to gravely overstate Robles. See id. at 576 (“It is true that the
statute protects litigation-related speech and petitioning activity undertaken on another’s behalf,
but the statute should not be used to insulate those statements from recourse by the very client on
whose behalf the statement was made.” (citations omitted)). Moreover, “[t]he focus of the [antiSLAPP] statute is not the form of the plaintiff’s cause of action, but the defendant’s activity that
gives rise to the asserted liability.” Midland Pac. Building Corp. v. King, 157 Cal. App. 4th 264,
272 (2007). Here, as noted above, the central subject of Taylor’s negligence claims against
Viacom is the casting of Rainey in She Got Game. Robles simply is inapposite here.

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
CIVIL MINUTES—GENERAL
Case No.

CV 17-3247-DMG (AFMx)

Date

June 5, 2018

Title Jayceon Terrell Taylor v. Viacom Inc., et al.

Page

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Additionally, Taylor presents a series of hypothetical acts, unrelated to the facts
underlying this action, that “presumabl[y]” would not be deemed protected activity under section
425.16, to argue that Viacom’s conduct is equally unprotected. See Opp. at 7. “This argument,
however, is predicated on the ‘fallacy that the anti-SLAPP statute allows a defendant to escape
the consequences of wrongful conduct by asserting a spurious First Amendment defense.’”
Hunter, at 1525 (quoting Navellier v. Sletten, 29 Cal. 4th 82, 93 (2002)). But “‘the statute does
not bar a plaintiff from litigating an action that arises out of the defendant’s free speech or
petitioning,’ nor does it confer ‘any kind of “immunity”’ on protected activity.” Id. (quoting
Navellier, 29 Cal. 4th at 93). Rather, the plaintiff must “present the ‘minimal’ evidence
necessary to demonstrate a reasonable probability of prevailing on the merits” to survive the antiSLAPP motion. Id. (quoting Robinzine v. Vicory, 143 Cal. App. 4th 1416, 1421 (2006)). The
Court thus rejects Taylor’s parade of horribles argument as meritless and irrelevant to the
question at bar—whether Viacom’s challenged conduct was in furtherance of its free speech
rights such that Taylor must come forth with evidence that his claims are meritorious.
In sum, Viacom’s casting of Rainey advanced and assisted the production of She Got
Game, and thus falls under the broad protection the anti-SLAPP statute provides for free speech
and petition activities. See, e.g., Tamkin, 193 Cal. App. 4th at 143–144.
2.

The Challenged Conduct’s Connection with a Public Issue

Next, Viacom must show that the casting of Rainey for She’s Got Game was “in
connection with a public issue or an issue of public interest.” Cal. Civ. Proc. Code
§ 425.16(e)(4). Courts have found that the casting for a television show can be considered an
issue of public interest. Tamkin, 193 Cal. App. 4th at 143–144 (finding the creation, casting and
broadcasting of an episode of CSI to be an issue of public interest “as shown by the posting of
the casting synopses on various Web sites and the ratings for the episode.”). Further, reality
television programs have specifically been considered an issue of public interest. See Seelig, 97
Cal. App. 4th at 807–08 (describing that a contestant on Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire
was an issue of public interest because of the popularity of reality television shows). Here,
Viacom’s acts in casting Rainey contributed to the production of the television program She’s
Got Game. As demonstrated by the ratings for the series in addition to various news articles
about the show and its cast members, the show became a topic of public interest. Id.; Exhibits Y,
AA, DD–LL, NN, OO.  
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
CIVIL MINUTES—GENERAL
Case No.

CV 17-3247-DMG (AFMx)

Title Jayceon Terrell Taylor v. Viacom Inc., et al.

Date

June 5, 2018
Page

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Furthermore, courts have found that there is a strong public interest in the lives of famous
people. See Hilton, 599 F.3d at 899, 908 (describing public interest in celebrity Paris Hilton,
who starred in the reality television show The Simple Life); Beckham v. Bauer Publ. Co., L.P.,
No. CV 10-7980-R, 2011 WL 977570, at *1 (C.D. Cal. 2011) (describing David Beckham as a
“renowned soccer star who is no stranger to the media and [who] puts himself in the public
spotlight” such that “[a]llegations of his alleged affairs would be a topic of interest to a wide
variety of people”). Taylor, an “internationally recognized music artist” who has earned the
number one spot eight times on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart, is a public figure who seeks
the public spotlight. Compl. at ¶ 2; Exh. J. In addition to his successful music career and his
participation in She’s Got Game, Taylor has also starred in another reality television program, as
explained above.
Viacom is being sued because it cast Rainey as a contestant on She’s Got Game, a
popular reality television show in which Taylor, a public figure, starred. The above facts
establish that the challenged conduct arises from Viacom’s exercise of its “constitutional right of
free speech in connection with a public issue or an issue of public interest.” Cal. Civ. Proc. Code
§ 425.16(e)(2)–(3). As such, this action falls within the anti-SLAPP statute’s “arising from”
prong. The Court turns now to the second step of the anti-SLAPP analysis.
B.

Step Two: Probability of Prevailing on the Merits

Because Viacom has made a threshold showing that Taylor’s action arises from its free
speech activities, the burden shifts to Taylor to demonstrate a probability that he will prevail on
each of his claims. Jarrow, 31 Cal. 4th at 733. To satisfy the second prong, the plaintiff must
“state[] and substantiate[] a legally sufficient claim.” Id. at 741 (quoting Rosenthal v. Great
Western Fin. Secs., 14 Cal. 4th 394, 412 (1996)). In opposing an anti-SLAPP motion, “the
plaintiff cannot rely on the allegations of the complaint, but must produce evidence that would be
admissible at trial.” HMS Capital, Inc. v. Lawyers Title Co, 118 Cal. App. 4th 204, 212 (2004).
Taylor has offered no such evidence in his Opposition and has not even presented
argument as to the likelihood of success on the merits of his claims, and thus has fallen short of
meeting his burden. See Steed v. Dep’t of Consumer Affairs, 204 Cal. App. 4th 112, 124 (2012)
(“[T]o successfully oppose an anti-SLAPP motion . . . [the plaintiff] was the party who carried
the burden to show ‘that the complaint is both legally sufficient and supported by a sufficient
prima facie showing of facts to sustain a favorable judgment’ . . . .”); Haight Ashbury Free
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
CIVIL MINUTES—GENERAL
Case No.

CV 17-3247-DMG (AFMx)

Title Jayceon Terrell Taylor v. Viacom Inc., et al.

Date

June 5, 2018
Page

9 of 10

 

Clinics v. Happening House Ventures, 184 Cal. App. 4th 1539, 1554 (2010) (granting antiSLAPP motion where plaintiff “did not even discuss the second prong of the SLAPP test in its
briefing in the trial court”). Instead, Taylor spends his Opposition challenging the efficacy of
Viacom’s threshold showing, as discussed above. Taylor “bore the burden to present competent,
admissible facts in opposing the anti-SLAPP motion, irrespective of defendants’ burden,” and he
failed to carry this burden. Steed, 204 Cal. App. 4th at 124.3
C.

Leave to File Supplemental Briefing

The Opposition further states that “in the event this Court determines that this first prong
has been met, then Plaintiff reserves the right, and respectfully requests leave to file a
supplemental brief on the outstanding issues.” Opp. at 7–8. The Court will not give Taylor a
second bite at the apple. As explained above, his only task under the anti-SLAPP statute was to
show, with evidence, that there is a probability he would prevail on the merits of his claims.
Taylor abandoned this burden altogether. To permit Taylor to engage in piecemeal litigation of
the instant motion would contravene the very purpose of the anti-SLAPP statute: to “provid[e]
an efficient procedural mechanism to obtain an early and inexpensive dismissal of
nonmeritorious claims.” Martinez v. Metabolife Int’l, 113 Cal. App. 4th 181, 186 (2003).
Moreover, the Court observes that Taylor’s nine-page Opposition, including the cover page, falls
far short of this District’s page limitation for briefs, such that the Court cannot conceive of any
good cause for Taylor’s failure to so much as attempt to carry his burden in opposing the MTS in
the first instance. See C.D. Cal. L.R. 11-6 (page limit for moving papers is 25 pages, excluding
indices and exhibits).
Thus, the Court GRANTS the MTS and DENIES Taylor leave to file supplemental
briefing.
D.

Leave to Amend

California courts have made clear that the grant of an anti-SLAPP motion shall not be
with leave to amend the pleading. See Martin v. Inland Empire Utilities Agency, 198 Cal. App.
4th 611, 625–27 (2011) (collecting and discussing cases). Because Viacom satisfied its
                                                            
3

 While Viacom offers alternative grounds for dismissal in its MTS, Taylor’s failure to address the second
prong of the anti-SLAPP analysis in his Opposition is fatal to his suit, and the Court thus does not address the
alternative grounds.
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
CIVIL MINUTES—GENERAL
Case No.

Date

CV 17-3247-DMG (AFMx)

Title Jayceon Terrell Taylor v. Viacom Inc., et al.

June 5, 2018
Page

10 of 10

 

threshold showing that its conduct was in furtherance of its exercise of free speech rights, the
grant of the MTS is without leave to amend. See id. at 627–29.
V.
CONCLUSION
Accordingly, the Court GRANTS the MTS and DENIES Taylor leave to file
supplemental briefing or an amended pleading.
IT IS SO ORDERED.

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